The price exacted by addiction to drugs is a heavy one. The seductive cravings brought on by the illicit substance become so strong that they overpower sound reasoning, changing the fundamental character of a person beyond all recognition. Choices become limited, and the world is torn from under the feet of the addict. The situation is a little like being stuck in a featureless box with the walls slowly closing in, and those walls represent the crushing force of dependency. When this moment comes, when there seems no way back or no path forward, the cruelly trapped addict’s existence hinges on several factors. A strong support system powered by compassion and strong bonds is the most powerful of these factors, for the character of the addict, no matter how willful, is being severely tested by drugged dependency, and there’s no room in his or her mind to find balance.
New perspective on the situation, an anchoring sense of objectivity, comes from familial bonds and the presence of close friends, loved ones who won’t falter when the symptoms of this self-inflicted disease reach the ugly stage where rage and denial live. It’s impossible to predict the path of the addict through the obstacles that lay ahead, the periods of denial and recrimination. There will be days when the troubled loved one believes the turning point has come, and there’s no longer any need for a support system, but this could be and probably is a deception. The addict is a cunning creation of a once well-known friend or siblings personality, and this half-crazed persona will do literally anything, descending to criminal levels, to get the next hit from a chosen drug.
Overcoming this poisonous situation is next to impossible without help, and that help is nearby, thankfully. While some friends and family members may turn their heads away from this scenario, it’s the dynamic core of the people that touch our lives that will form a support system. They have the capacity to recognize and accept the problem and do something about it. This newly formed support system is a potent team of individuals bonded together to stop the addictive behavior. They’re prepared to utilize their combined strength to break the tightening patterns of abuse that are leading the drug-addled loved one down a dark road to hospitalization or imprisonment. The members of the group will arm themselves with facts on any suspected drug, learning of the threat to both the subject of concern and to our society in general, educating themselves on how drugs are now affecting over 24 million Americans with no sight of the threat leveling off (www.drugabuse.gov). Indeed, the problem seems set to worsen before it improves, and only tight-knit support groups possess the power to penetrate the denial of their addicted peers.
The formation of an effective support team is an alliance of family and friends, an alliance that can include figures of authority from the life of the addict. Respected teachers and members of the clergy are fine examples of this line of thinking. According to Westlake Recovery, the aim of the team is first to give the loved one perspective, to provide the solidity of the ground that has been yanked away by the confusing effects of a mind-altering substance. They said, “Consider forming the support group into a formal intervention team, of hosting the intervention and even hiring an interventionist, a professional in creating a strategy designed to help the addict accept accountability for past actions.” Research the affects of certain addictions, whether the substance is a stimulant or a depressant. Quote related facts and current statistics, such as the rise of the prescription drug conundrum(topics.nytimes.com). Above all, focus the power of the support group on getting the addict into a good recovery program, but stay close. Even recovery programs can end in failure and relapse. Pair the treatment with continual support throughout the treatment.
